Great video! We were on the Summit in February and even though only about a third of the buffet was open in the evening, we greatly preferred the food options, and even quality, to the MDR options. That being said, we almost exclusively went with the custom salads, stir fry and pasta. I feel if youre not taking advantage of those options and just going with the pre-prepared options, quality takes a steep drop.
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the video. I very much agree with your statements. Buffet on the Summit is much better than the MDR. I sailed on that ship 2 months ago and came to the same conclusions. Thank you for the reminder about the stir fry as well! I tried it several times and it was very good.
We ate lunch twice in the Buffet and noticed the Indian and Asian specialties were the best in terms of flavor. The AFT used to be a our favorite spot, but on Equinox the Smoking Section is just right of the Sunset Bar.
Hi Matt! I agree with you. In general, Celebrity has the Indian dishes nailed. They are very much spot on. I noticed the same thing on the Summit. I also very much agree with your statement about the aft. I loved the views and the atmosphere but hated the smell of smoke. Especially if someone was smoking a cigar.
I agree with your assessment of the Ocean View Cafe buffet, Tom. Our cruise on Equinox last year found the buffet underwhelming. I was looking forward to their fish and chips theme night on the buffet. The quality of the fish and chips was comparable to what you would find in the frozen food section of your local supermarket.
Tom, did you happen to notice if there is any vegan yoghurt at the Oceanview Café. I also eat low-carb and was wondering if there any low-carb bread options, such as low-carb English muffins or any low-carb pastries? Thank you.
Unfortunately, they only have one kind of yogurt in 3 or 4 flavors. It's not vegan. There are no low carb bread or pastry options either. They have small gluten-free and no sugar dessert sections. There is a vegan section as well. I did the low-carb diet a few years back. It works but requires a lot of discipline. It's going to be very hard to stick to it on a cruise.
@@tomsunday hi Tom, thank you for replying. I’m diabetic and needy low-carb items. I have discovered keto, but don’t eat keto. Just searching for low carb items and I know it’s going to be difficult when I go on the cruise to find something to eat. Even having a hamburger bun with my burger will raise my blood sugar through the roof. I really miss bread. I’m glad though, that there are sugar-free desserts on the cruise. At least I can have some kind of sugar-free treat at the end of my meal. Thanks again.
I understand how difficult it is to follow a keto/low card diet. I did it for 8 months about 4 years ago. I ended up losing 70 lbs. However it was extremely difficult. Almost every single thing we eat has carbs. I also missed bread. I feel for you. You can still have some yummy treats (sugar free) and some of the meals that are offered in the restants. I would be careful with the sauces as well. One suggestion for the future is Blu. I am not sure if you are familiar with Aqua Class. I have a bunch of videos on it. Aqua class guests have an exclusive restaurant called Blu. That kitchen cooks california style healthier meals. I notice a lot less carbs on that menu. Focus is more on the proteins and the veggies. So that may be something to consider for your future cruises. Either way, I hope you have a fantastic time. If you have any more questions, I am here to help.
Luminae is fantastic. I would go there for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. It's your best food option. Eden comes close but has a fixed menu. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer. I hope you enjoy your cruise on the Apex. Cheers!
I sailed on the Eclipse last year. Since then Celebrity implemented a lot of food changes. The buffet on the Eclipse looks the same but had better food. Technically speaking they should be an exact copy of each other.
It was rather disappointing to read the reviews about the food on the Equinox. We are sailing on Equinox Dec. 14-21, 2024. We cruised on Celebrity Century in Jan. of 2004 and don't recall being disappointed in any of the food on that cruise. We just returned from a 7 day cruise on MSC Seashore and the reviews here of the food on the Equinox sound exactly like what we experienced on the Seashore. We did two Carnival cruises last year and enjoyed the food on both of those ships.
First, thank you for another great video Tom. I never had an issue with breakfast on any Celebrity Ship, all very good and all the favorites we all know and love are there. Now lets go to Lunch...Lunch has been the biggest disappointment in not only lower quality meats, but at the carving station most days it was either Ham or Turkey, Not once did they serve Steamship round that was always in the Ocean View. Roast Beef in the carving station on embarkation day was well done and horrible. Way too many food fillers like lots of Pasta, Potatoes, rice. Way too much starchy items, Thats what I call food fillers. With the money I spent on this past cruise on the Reflection in Sept, I find it offense to have to go eat in a buffet SPECIALLY when I paid for Aqua Class. And even then had to eat off the Main Dining Room menu which infuriated me...This is on of 3 reasons I am leaving Celebrity. The other 2...Elimination of Tips from the package and 3rd, Soaring out of control fares on Celebrity. Virgin Voyages is my next cruise.
You are most welcome, Mark! I am glad you liked the video. You make a very good point about a large amount of fillers at the buffet for lunch/dinner. A ton of potatoes, pasta, rice and etc. One night they even served beanie weanies. I spoke to another passenger on the ship about that. We were both amazed that a gourmet buffet is serving canned camp food. Completely unacceptable. I don't blame you for switching to Virgin. Celebrity needs to pay attention to loyal cruisers such as yourself.
Just a add on from my other post..,,cuisine....Ocean View Breakfast...8 /10....Lunch 5/10....Dinner 4/10....Blu dinner 6/10...MDR Menu 5/10...Service 9/10 on the ship...Celebrity is a cuisine failure...
Celebrity Cruises Food Tours: ua-cam.com/play/PLAMELD7KEuK6Bhy5FP9iKAc5AG7s4lGyb.html&si=ygqGQdpCCKJ7DO0r
Oh, I'm so glad they still have the congee - that's always one of my favorite parts of the breakfast buffet on Celebrity.
I never tried it but it sounds really healthy!
Great video! We were on the Summit in February and even though only about a third of the buffet was open in the evening, we greatly preferred the food options, and even quality, to the MDR options. That being said, we almost exclusively went with the custom salads, stir fry and pasta. I feel if youre not taking advantage of those options and just going with the pre-prepared options, quality takes a steep drop.
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the video. I very much agree with your statements. Buffet on the Summit is much better than the MDR. I sailed on that ship 2 months ago and came to the same conclusions. Thank you for the reminder about the stir fry as well! I tried it several times and it was very good.
We ate lunch twice in the Buffet and noticed the Indian and Asian specialties were the best in terms of flavor. The AFT used to be a our favorite spot, but on Equinox the Smoking Section is just right of the Sunset Bar.
Hi Matt! I agree with you. In general, Celebrity has the Indian dishes nailed. They are very much spot on. I noticed the same thing on the Summit. I also very much agree with your statement about the aft. I loved the views and the atmosphere but hated the smell of smoke. Especially if someone was smoking a cigar.
I agree with your assessment of the Ocean View Cafe buffet, Tom. Our cruise on Equinox last year found the buffet underwhelming. I was looking forward to their fish and chips theme night on the buffet. The quality of the fish and chips was comparable to what you would find in the frozen food section of your local supermarket.
I forgot to mention the fish and chips! Thank you for the reminder. I agree with your comparison. It was a 6/10 at the very best.
I don’t think you can really expect decent fishing chips on a buffet. It has to go right from the fryer immediately to the plate.
Tom, did you happen to notice if there is any vegan yoghurt at the Oceanview Café.
I also eat low-carb and was wondering if there any low-carb bread options, such as low-carb English muffins or any low-carb pastries?
Thank you.
Unfortunately, they only have one kind of yogurt in 3 or 4 flavors. It's not vegan. There are no low carb bread or pastry options either. They have small gluten-free and no sugar dessert sections. There is a vegan section as well.
I did the low-carb diet a few years back. It works but requires a lot of discipline. It's going to be very hard to stick to it on a cruise.
@@tomsunday hi Tom, thank you for replying. I’m diabetic and needy low-carb items. I have discovered keto, but don’t eat keto. Just searching for low carb items and I know it’s going to be difficult when I go on the cruise to find something to eat. Even having a hamburger bun with my burger will raise my blood sugar through the roof. I really miss bread. I’m glad though, that there are sugar-free desserts on the cruise. At least I can have some kind of sugar-free treat at the end of my meal.
Thanks again.
I understand how difficult it is to follow a keto/low card diet. I did it for 8 months about 4 years ago. I ended up losing 70 lbs. However it was extremely difficult. Almost every single thing we eat has carbs. I also missed bread. I feel for you. You can still have some yummy treats (sugar free) and some of the meals that are offered in the restants. I would be careful with the sauces as well.
One suggestion for the future is Blu. I am not sure if you are familiar with Aqua Class. I have a bunch of videos on it. Aqua class guests have an exclusive restaurant called Blu. That kitchen cooks california style healthier meals. I notice a lot less carbs on that menu. Focus is more on the proteins and the veggies. So that may be something to consider for your future cruises.
Either way, I hope you have a fantastic time. If you have any more questions, I am here to help.
Is the Eclipse buffet similar? Thanks!
They are pretty much identical!
We are sailing in the Retreat on the Apex in 2024. With all the changes on Celebrity, I just hope the food is at least decent
Luminae is fantastic. I would go there for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. It's your best food option. Eden comes close but has a fixed menu. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer. I hope you enjoy your cruise on the Apex. Cheers!
Did they have any non dairy beverages such as oat beverage or almond milk…?
72nd! Im here for the tour
Always #1 in my heart buddy! I hope you enjoy the tour.
I assume the buffet on the Eclipse is similar?
I sailed on the Eclipse last year. Since then Celebrity implemented a lot of food changes. The buffet on the Eclipse looks the same but had better food. Technically speaking they should be an exact copy of each other.
It was rather disappointing to read the reviews about the food on the Equinox. We are sailing on Equinox Dec. 14-21, 2024. We cruised on Celebrity Century in Jan. of 2004 and don't recall being disappointed in any of the food on that cruise. We just returned from a 7 day cruise on MSC Seashore and the reviews here of the food on the Equinox sound exactly like what we experienced on the Seashore. We did two Carnival cruises last year and enjoyed the food on both of those ships.
First, thank you for another great video Tom. I never had an issue with breakfast on any Celebrity Ship, all very good and all the favorites we all know and love are there. Now lets go to Lunch...Lunch has been the biggest disappointment in not only lower quality meats, but at the carving station most days it was either Ham or Turkey, Not once did they serve Steamship round that was always in the Ocean View. Roast Beef in the carving station on embarkation day was well done and horrible. Way too many food fillers like lots of Pasta, Potatoes, rice. Way too much starchy items, Thats what I call food fillers. With the money I spent on this past cruise on the Reflection in Sept, I find it offense to have to go eat in a buffet SPECIALLY when I paid for Aqua Class. And even then had to eat off the Main Dining Room menu which infuriated me...This is on of 3 reasons I am leaving Celebrity. The other 2...Elimination of Tips from the package and 3rd, Soaring out of control fares on Celebrity. Virgin Voyages is my next cruise.
You are most welcome, Mark! I am glad you liked the video. You make a very good point about a large amount of fillers at the buffet for lunch/dinner. A ton of potatoes, pasta, rice and etc. One night they even served beanie weanies. I spoke to another passenger on the ship about that. We were both amazed that a gourmet buffet is serving canned camp food. Completely unacceptable. I don't blame you for switching to Virgin. Celebrity needs to pay attention to loyal cruisers such as yourself.
Hey Tom, sent you a voice mail about something Celebrity sent out...A horrendous letter sent out by the President of Celebrity.
Thank you, Mark! I will check and respond asap!
Just a add on from my other post..,,cuisine....Ocean View Breakfast...8 /10....Lunch 5/10....Dinner 4/10....Blu dinner 6/10...MDR Menu 5/10...Service 9/10 on the ship...Celebrity is a cuisine failure...
Thanks again for sharing your feedback, Mark! I agree with your ratings.
Oh dear, I was so looking forward to my first cruise too.
The food with those ratings sounds really awful.